Fight for Honor and Glory
by Thomas3Garchomp
Summary: Ash has immersed himself in the world of pokemon for the past three years. He has lost many things, but now it all is put to the test. The Champion's Crowning Tournament. The chance to fulfill his dream. Rated M for possible sexuality and violence. Harem.


**_I'M BACK...hopefull. Sorry people. I've been having way too many troubles to keep up my stories. I'm hoping to use Christmas Break to start up again, but i'm not infallible. Might happen again. Still, i'll do my best._**

**_This is my new story: Fight for Honor and Glory. It is meant to replace both my Destruction of One's Heart stary, and Tournament of Dominance. Both i wasn't satisfied with. This story is a cold Ash/tournament story. I tried to come up with a new concept for having a colder Ash, and this makes the tournament more interesting. Tell me what you think._**

_Ash has immersed himself into pokemon battling completely during the past three years. He now has a chance to fulfill his dream, but maybe he'll also have the chance to bond with his estranged friends again. _

A crowd was gathered around a pokemon battling going on. On one side, a beaten up Golduck was standing in front of fourteen year old boy. The other side had a confident looking Bulbasaur standing in front of an even more confident nineteen year old. The nineteen year old had long spiky black hair. Very few in Kanto didn't know this boy's name. Ash Ketchum, the recent Indigo Plateau Championship winner.

The younger trainer looked stressed as he ordered, "Come on Golduck, use Zen Headbutt." The blue pokemon started running forward, but barely made it halfway before a Razor Leaf stopped it in its path. The pokemon fell forward, prompting the referee to declare the match finished.

The crowd immediately started whispering excitedly. "So cool. We actually got to see the champion battle." "I wish his opponent was a little better though." "Yeah. We barely got to see a battle at all." "It was more like a massacre."

The gossiping fans were silenced though when Ash turned to them and announced, "This was a great battle that I truly enjoyed. It took lots of courage to do this." He then turned away from the crowd to look at his opponent. He then held out his hand before speaking, "That was a great battle, Kevin."

The young fourteen year old scratched his head in embarrassment as he replied, "Thanks, but you don't have to be polite. I didn't even manage to beat your Bulbasaur."

Ash frowned before looking down at his Bulbasaur. He quickly ordered, "Don't say that. You gave a good effort. Bulbasaur is one of my oldest pokemon." Bulbasaur added to this by using Vine Whip to pat the boy's shoulder. Ash quickly continued, "I wasn't lying when I said you had courage. You remind me of myself. I don't know how many times I got demolished when I was your age."

Kevin looked amazed and exclaimed, "No way."

Ash smiled and answered, "I did. I remember I got taught a good lesson by Drake in Hoenn and Flint in Sinnoh."

Kevin lowered his eyes before claiming, "But you lost against elite four members. You clearly had talent. I just can't seem to get a hang of battling."

Ash quickly smiled before pointing out, "What about at the Indigo League just a few weeks ago. If I'm not mistaken, didn't you get to the top sixteen."

Kevin lowered his head before shaking his head, "That was just luck. I barely made it that far, and that was my third regional tournament. You placed in the top sixteen on your first regional tournament, and you went head to head with the champion at the EverGrande Championship. Compared to you, I just don't have enough talent."

Ash frowned again before leaning forward. He whispered to the discouraged trainer quietly, "Don't spread this around, but…when I first started out on my journey, I didn't have any natural skill with pokemon."

Kevin pulled away in shock and asked, "Really?"

Ash nodded painfully before admitting, "I followed me heart more than my head, and I've turned out fine. I'm sure you will too. Just keep with it."

Kevin grinned broadly before nodding and preparing to run away, but he stopped and turned his head to look at Ash before asking, "Are you competing in the Champion's Crowning Tournament?"

Ash nodded with a grin and announced, "Of course, and I expect to see you there too." Kevin nodded before running away.

Ash let out a brief sigh as he returned Bulbasaur and was immediately mobbed by his fans. Since he won the Indigo Plateau a month ago, he had barely a moment to himself. He constantly received challenges, and then he had to comfort them. He believed what he told them, but after a while, even the most calm headed person would find himself annoyed. He hadn't known there were so many trainers who looked for encouragement from elites. Then there was the constant attention. He now thought it was foolish that he hadn't realized it before. If he became a master, the fans may just kill him. They were everywhere, wanting autographs and advice. If he wanted to go anywhere, he had to deal with the fans. Not that there weren't perks though. Having hundreds of girls idol him was definitely nice, but he still hoped that the Champion's Crowning Tournament would help by gathering hundreds of elites into a single city. He wouldn't be the only attraction.

Ash finally broke away from the fans to enter the pokemon center he was currently staying at. He was interrupted though when a cold voice spoke, "So pathetic, having to comfort mediocre trainers and running from your own fans."

Ash recognized the voice and turned his face to look at a purple haired trainer the same age as him. He replied at the same time, "Don't say that, Paul. He has potential if he trains enough. As for the fans, I wasn't…quite running as much as…"

"Fleeing."

Ash frowned. He wasn't quite able to deny it, and Paul knew it. Ash shook his head before looking at Paul again. He walked forward before catching hands with Paul and then connecting shoulders with him.(You know what I mean. Guy thing.)

Ash and Paul had become great friends around a year or two ago. Ash had managed to win the Isshu League, and had then started the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. Paul happened to be starting it the same time. The two battled many times as both advanced through the Battle Frontier. Before they knew it, they began helping each other. Ash had gone through a lot before that, and Ash's new personality allowed him and Paul to get along far more than before. Even after both of them defeated the Sinnoh Battle Frontier, both now kept up a friendship that had been impossible before. Ash had won the most recent Indigo Plateau, and Paul won the Suzeran League. So both were now eligible for the Champion's League. Although, the Champion's Crowning had completely overshadowed that. Occurring only once every decade, it was the end all be all tournament. It was there that Ash could finally fulfill his dream of being a pokemon master. Ash and Paul had made arrangements to meet here at the pokemon center of Cinnabar Island, the place where they would soon be catching a cruise to 'Pokemon Island,' where the tournament would be held.

Ash pointed out, "Sorry if I have difficulty with fans, but at least fans know who I am."

Paul smirked before countering, "They know who I am. I just am capable of not drawing attention to myself, unlike someone."

Ash realized the futility of arguing with Paul. Ash just sucked at trash talk. Instead he asked quickly, "Has Reggie reserved the hotel already?"

Paul nodded before telling him, "He's had it for over a week now. He wanted to fully map out the city. Luckily the Pokemon League didn't mind about him taking over our room early." The Pokemon League reserved rooms for all the people they had invited. Ash and Paul had agreed to room together in return for a larger room. Reggie was also going to join them in the overly luxurious room.

Ash asked in a surprised voice, "He went a week ago?"

Paul nodded before explaining, "He said it was more important to familiarize himself with the city. I don't care what he says though. I am going to keep my pokemon training till the last minute."

Ash put his arms behind his head before exclaiming cheerfully, "My pokemon and I went to the beach to relax."

"…Idiot."

"Shut up, Paul."

The cruise ride had been nice so far. Sitting by Paul had its benefits. The two were sitting on the edge of the cruise ship pool, talking to several of the more pleasing female swimmers. Long ago was the time when Ash was complete ignorant to the workings of love. Part of that was due to Paul. Surprisingly, Paul was very popular. It had amazed Ash at first when he found out Paul wasn't always a cold bastard. He could hardly be called friendly, but he was able to go through entire conversations without insulting a person. With Ash, Paul wasted no time insulting him endlessly about his dense attitude. Ash had quickly learned under the unwilling guidance of Paul. One of the main reasons that he was able to befriend Paul was the fact he was immune to his anger. Paul could give off a weird aura that made most people too frightened to approach. Now, Paul sent off any people who would interrupt their conversations away with a single subtle glare. Yes, even Paul had good points.

Ash was cheerfully chatting with a few of the girls as Paul was giving curt replies to two girls as they peppered him with questions. Neither conversation wandered to the upcoming tournament, despite the fact that several of the girls were also trainers who were going to participate. Ash had a feeling he wasn't the only one who felt the nervous fluttering in his stomach. Even Paul probably felt it a little. All of them were slightly apprehensive of when the island would come into view.

Out of his peripheral vision, Ash saw a face he recognized. He looked out of the corner of his eyes as Dawn looked at him and Paul. She looked like she might walk over, but she decided and walked away. Ash didn't feel the particular urge to walk over to her. The two had grown apart. It hadn't been a huge thing, more like a gradual separation due to Ash's grief. The same had happened with most of his other traveling partners, but not so much with Brock. Although there wasn't bad blood, there wasn't much good will either.

The serious thoughts were interrupted when one of the girls asked, "What's up, Ash? You look slightly mad."

Ash wiped off the expression on his face and smiled before answering, "Nothing. Just thinking about something." He was surprised. He hadn't realized he was still slightly angry about that incident. Ash shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts completely. He looked over his shoulder at a clock and commented, "We should be arriving soon."

"Really, time really does go fast when you are having fun."

Ash smiled at the girl before announcing, "I'm gonna go change, but how about we all exchange numbers for our hotels. We should hang out some more during the tournament." After exchanging all their numbers, Ash walked away.

Ash didn't walk to the changing rooms though. He picked up his bag before walking over to an unoccupied section of railing and leaned against it, looking out at sea. He reached into the bag for a moment before pulling out a picture. He didn't know why he chose this moment to think about the past, but he felt like he should. Today. On the eve of possibly the biggest tournament of his life.

The picture had Ash commanding Pikachu against a Latios. The Suzeran Conference. The last regional league he had competed with Pikachu in.

Pikachu had died three years back. When the two were traveling through Isshu, both Ash and Pikachu fell ill. Ash himself had been bordering on death for a week before he recovered. When he finally regained consciousness, he found out that Pikachu had died five days earlier. The two had caught an extremely rare virus. Luckily Iris and Dento, along with all the other pokemon, hadn't caught it, but it was still a painful affair. Rarely did pokemon die due to illness. It had been a completely unpredictable event.

That didn't make it any less devastating to Ash. After a short period of extreme grieving and bitterness, Ash had started to recover. He didn't emerge unscarred though. In his period of grieving, he had searched for answers in a lot of different things. He had distanced himself from his friends and pokemon. His relationship with his mother had especially become unsteady. After this period, some things just were impossible to return to normal. He released many of his pokemon, and lost most of his friends. It had been a hard time for him. Still, he had recovered. He would always mourn and remember Pikachu, but he had decided he wouldn't let that loss rule his life. He had new pokemon and friends to rely on. Those struggles had only made him stronger. He had matured. Still, he couldn't help it at times like these when he wished for the old days. Where he was still young and naïve…and Pikachu was still on his shoulder.

Ash slipped the photo back into the bag without a word. He looked in front of the ship to see the island coming into view. Reminiscing time was over. This was how things were. He should focus on the present. He now had to fulfill his dream. The Champion's Crowning Tournament was waiting.

"This room is awesome," Ash exclaimed as he sat down on the soft couch. It had taken him lose to two hours to finally work his way past the boats and find his hotel. He looked around his hotel room in satisfaction. Rooming with another League winner definitely had its benefits. The hotel suite was enough for him, Paul, Reggie, and ten more people to live comfortably through the tournament.

The suite was centered around a large living room which was adjoined with the kitchen. The living room had a plasma TV mounted on the wall, and in front of the TV, a large four person couch was the main center of attention. On either side of the couch were large leather recliners. Also, a complicated desktop computer was in the corner of the living room. Also, an entire wall of the room was a giant window which allowed them a great view of the city. The adjoined kitchen had granite counters and everything else you would want in a kitchen. To finish off the suite, the doors to four large rooms and two bathrooms were within view.

Ash looked at Reggie who looked amused. Reggie was dressed in casual clothes, not his usual daycare outfit. He still had his purple hair pulled back into a ponytail. Ash asked, "Isn't this a little too luxurious, Reggie? I mean, how much does this place cost a light, and doesn't this tournament go on for longer than a month? It will cost them a fortune."

Reggie chuckled before claiming, "I thought the same thing. I asked the attendant, and he said this room costs close to five hundred dollars a night."

Ash gasped, "Wow!"

Reggie nodded with a smirk before explaining, "They'll get more than enough back though. Think about how many fans are coming to this city to watch the tournament. It is a basic rule of business that to make money, you have to spend money. They need to make sure that all the big names are coming. Plus, the vast majority of trainers aren't getting rooms anywhere near this good. Two league winners rooming together naturally means you have one of the best rooms there are. I bet only elite four members are above you and Paul when it comes to publicity value. Then there is…"

Ash waved his hand impatiently as he said, "Okay, I get it. I'm a trainer, not a businessman." Ash thought for a moment before asking, "Reggie, you are competing right?"

Reggie nodded before explaining, "Yep. I didn't compete in the last C.C. tournament when I was fourteen, and I want to participate at least once. My pokemon are still in a condition where they can battle. I don't expect to win, but I hope to have an experience or two."

Before they could continue, Paul's curt voice broke in, "How long are you two going to chat? The opening ceremony starts tomorrow at nine o'clock. I'm going to sleep now." Paul then unceremoniously left Ash and Reggie.

Ash looked out the window to see that it was pitch black outside. The sun had gone down when they had been finding their way to the hotel. He looked at a clock and saw that it was already ten o'clock. It surprised him how quickly night had come.

Reggie stood and announced, "Paul's right. We should get a good night's rest. Especially you two. It is expected that you two do well in this tournament. Can't have one of you lose due to being tired."

Ash stood and said in a bored voice, "Fine. Too bad though. I was hoping to have a party to break in the new place. Still, can't look tired for the ceremony tomorrow." Both Ash and Reggie walked into two of the remaining rooms.

It seemed that not many people had taken the same course as them. Ash was amused to see that many of the trainers at the ceremony with bags under their eyes and fighting back yawns. Apparently plenty had been too excited or nervous about the tournament to sleep well.

Ash was leaning against one of the walls of the stadium in which hundreds and hundreds of trainers were gathered. Ash was feeling good. He had a good night sleep, had woken up early for one of his morning runs with his pokemon, and had just had a nice shower and breakfast before going to the opening ceremony. After picking up his number, 78, Ash had settled down to relax as more and more trainers flooded into the stadium floor, and as trainers arrived on the floor, fans packed the thousands of seats to watch the ceremony.

Ash was pulled out of his thoughts as a voice called out cheerily, "Ash, over here."

Ash turned to see a tan man walking over to him. Ash grinned and walked over towards the pokemon doctor, Brock Slate. Brock was now 22 years old, and had become a fully licensed pokemon doctor. Ash hadn't distanced himself from Brock as much as some of his other friends after Pikachu passed away. Naturally they weren't quirte as close as they had been, but Brock still was the one who gave Ash's pokemon regular checkups.

The two hugged, and as they pulled away, Ash asked, "Why didn't you tell me that you were going to compete?"

Brock laughed and shrugged before claiming, "I just recently decided it. Some good fun, and also publicity for the Pewter Gym. Forrest thought I stood a better chance here, so I'm going to represent the gym."

The pleasant banter continued for a few minutes, but the two split when Brock said he had to meet with Misty and Gary. Ash didn't particularly feel like following, and a face he recognized sent him walking towards it. He weaved through the dense crowd till he was beside a small figure leaning on a walking stick.

The figure saw him approaching and said, "Hello, Ash. Good to see you again."

Ash smiled and replied, "You too, Agatha." Ash and Agatha had met up a lot recently. It had been Agatha who had presented him the Indigo Plateau trophy a month ago. Since then, the two had often talked. Ash grinned and teased, "Are you sure that you aren't too old for something like that?"

Agatha gave a laugh before answering, "Maybe I am, but that didn't stop me from beating you. Twice."

Ash grimaced as if in pain. It was true. Ash and Agatha had battled after he won the Indigo Plateau. Agatha had barely managed to win that match. Ash shrugged before claiming, "Then how about you at least last long enough to give me my rematch. It would be a pity if you lost before I got my revenge."

Agatha countered, "Yeah, right. I've competed in this tournament since before your parents were even old enough to walk. I'm not going to let you youngsters go without teaching you a lesson or two."

Ash shrugged before saying, "I believe you already taught me a lesson or two. Now its time to show you something called 'the future.'"

"Future, my cane. This will be my sixth time in this tournament. I made it to the finals twice. I first competed when I was sixteen. You want to be the future, well first you got to beat the past."

Ash and Agatha were now staring at each other competitively. Their stand off was ended when a gruff voice barked out, "Geez, you two. Leave arguments for the battlefield."

Ash looked in shock as a hardy man with no shirt and only a cloak walked over. All the trainers cleared the way for this trainer, and with good reason. This was Drake. The dragon master who had won the last C.C. Tournament ten years ago. What was with Ash's luck today? He might not be nervous about the Tournament, but who wouldn't be slightly intimidated when faced with two trainers who had defined the C.C. Tournament in recent decades.

Drake continued after stopping, "We are only enemies when we are standing across from each other on a battlefield. Till then though, we should use this opportunity to improve upon ourselves. Good to see you again, Ash."

Ash nodded at Drake. He was slightly nervous by standing across from a man who had conquered the largest pokemon tournament in the world, but he refused to show it. He questioned, "Aren't you suppose to be up on stage when the opening ceremony starts?"

Drake shrugged before claiming, "I'll go when I'm needed. Till then, I feel like catching up with a young trainer who I once gave advice to."

Ash pointed to himself and asked, "Is that suppose to be me?"

Drake nodded before continuing, "I heard that you have managed to become quite a distinguished trainer. If I'm not mistaken, you have won both the Isshu League, and the Indigo Plateau. Not to mention your exploits in the battle frontier. It is good to see such talent being realized. I hope I might be so lucky as to have another match with you."

Ash grinned and exclaimed, "I'm honored to be so highly thought of." Ash put his arms behind his head and looked at the giant stadium before commenting, "This tournament will be great though. I haven't had the opportunity to compete in the Champion's League, and this is just a step above regional tournaments. Do you two think you could give some advice to your young disciple?"

Agatha immediately replied, "I don't remember making you my disciple, but I can offer you some advice."

Drake nodded before adding, "I am willing too. It doesn't seem you are nervous, that is good. Many people self destruct during this tournament, but keep calm and keep thinking logically is very important."

Agatha started by speaking in a slow and thoughtful voice, "The one great tip I could give is…prepare for every battle. The time has long since passed when one can simply rely on battling skills. Almost just as important is strategic and tactical skill. Strategic skill involves researching your opponent thoroughly and devising your team based on that. Tactical skill requires one to devise the most effective way to inflict damage while at the same time receiving as little damage as possible in a battle. A person who has mastered these two skills, has a chance against any person they face."

Ash nodded in understanding. During regional tournaments, few people spent a lot of time researching their opponents considering that much of the information was outdated. Ash had heard that all a person's info was updated daily for this tournament. No doubt, learning to prepare for opponents would become crucial from Ash's success.

Ash then looked at Drake, who stayed silent with his eyes closed for several moments. Finally Drake opened his eyes and declared, "You already know all you need for success in this tournament. I shall simply attempt to reinforce an idea that you should already know. Keep calm during this tournament. I don't know how many trainers react badly to the pressure. Many suffer from nerves, but many more make mistakes in their training due the pressure of the tournament. They think they aren't working hard enough, and they train far too much. I hope that you trained properly for this tournament because it is too late to make up for lost time. Your pokemon must be in perfect condition to be successful in this tournament. Some work them too hard and they end up injured or fatigued. The breaks they give us between matches is not meant to be used as a way to execute rough training. You should have already done that. The breaks are meant for a person to perfect moves and strategies against their opponent, and to make sure their pokemon are at their peak. To much training, and a pokemon is broken before they enter the stadium. Too little, and they become slow and weak. Yet for those who train just enough for the duration of the tournament, it allows them a small advantage that can be the difference between victory and defeat. Simple to attempt, but difficult to achieve."

Ash nodded seriously. Many people could say it, but coming from the mouths of such legends really made Ash consider what they were saying. As Drake had just said, saying it was one thing, accomplishing it was a whole different matter.

Drake checked a wristwatch before informing them, "The ceremony will start in a few minutes. I need to go get on the stage. I'll see you later, Agatha. I'll definitely see you later, Ash. Till then, I hope you have a good time at this tournament." Drake turned and walked away. Agatha quickly walked away to find some other elites.

Ash went to lean against a wall again. The crowd was now so thick that Ash found it unbearable to not have something against his back. He also angled himself so that he found himself on the wall within sight of the stage where the ceremony would take place. Ash saw that quite a few people were on the stage, and it looked slightly chaotic. Ash chuckled before settling down to wait. He was rewarded several minutes later when a short squat figure with a large beard stepped up to a mike. Ash burst out laughing momentarily, drawing a few looks, but they were distracted when a magnified voice rang through the stadium.

Everyone looked up at the stage to see Mr. Goodshow, who was attempting to lower the microphone enough to speak into it. A small chuckle passed through the crowd, and several people, like Ash, were courageous enough to laugh outright at what they saw. The small and jolly president of the pokemon league was dressed in a suit and tie. It had a very comical effect.

Mr. Goodshow finally finished adjusting the microphone and announced in a cheerful voice, "Welcome, trainers, to the Champion's Crowning Tournament." A cheer went up through the trainers. Ash ignored the enthusiastic trainers and waited for Mr. Goodshow to start again, but it seemed the pokemon league president was patiently waiting for the noise to calm down. Ash took the opportunity to see who else was up on the stage. He saw a number of people who clearly were part of the pokemon league, but there also were several prominent trainers. He saw Steven Stone, calm and cool as if he was with a small group of friends. Wallace Water, puffing up at being in front of thousands of people. Lance Wataru, acting professional even under pressure. Drake Fang, the previous champion of the C.C. tournament. And lastly, Cynthia Starlight, the beautiful champion of Sinnoh, and one of the favorites to win the tournament. Ash was distracted from observing the trainers on stage when Goodshow started speaking again.

"I am proud to welcome not only the trainers, but the thousands of fans in attendance and the millions watching at home. The Champion's Crowning Tournament is the pinnacle of pokemon battling. Each decade, battles occur here which can't take place anywhere except here. These magnificent battles that take place, show the noble spirit of all the trainers who are participating. A spirit of not only competitiveness, but of honor and tradition. As such, I want to emphasize to the trainers to do their best to uphold the high expectations of you during this tournament. The pokemon league will not hesitate to deal out punishments for inappropriate behavior."

Mr. Goodshow's speech went on, and Ash just started to tune it out. He didn't need to be told to give his best out their. As for behavior, nothing Mr. Goodshow could say would get Ash to behave. Ash wasn't a kid anymore. No one had the ability to tell him what to do. Not since he found out three years ago. He acted like a carefree guy because it made things in his life far simpler. What people didn't know was what Ash was now capable of. If people expected to face the kid he hade been years ago in this tournament, they were in for a very…dangerous surprise.

_**Here it is. I altered the plot a little bit, but still the general idea. A colder Ash competing in a large tournament.**_

_**Hope you liked my idea of Ash simply drifting apart from his friends. You'll learn more about it later. I know that many people will hate me for always killing off Pikachu, but honestly...having Pikachu is difficult. Always having a companion with him, who can't talk, not to mention i find that Pikachu is very difficult to write into battle. So sorry, but Pikachu is still dead. Some people may remember, but Paul is one of my favorite caracters. Shouti won't ever replace him. So naturally, he is also a main character in this story.**_

_**I could use OC's, but i'll also check with the OC's sent in for previous stories.**_

_**I hope to update again in a few days,bt tll then...Read...Relax...and Review. 'Chomp.'**_


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